Many would like to believe a result of the Covid pandemic has been a slowing of international hostilities. For those of us who get our news from evening TV broadcasts or online stories, I’d believe that. After all, for the past nine months, most every news story has centered on Covid, Donald Trump or the election. Given all that, there was precious little time to cover anything else.
Sadly, global conflicts appear to be escalating as much as ever – even more. From Turkey and Yemen to Nigeria, Cameroon and Syria fighting continues. It’s even reported that South Sudan has more attack helicopters than ventilators. It seems that humans can’t put aside differences no matter the extenuating circumstances of a deadly global pandemic.
A little over 75 years ago, we had a similar situation. The US was engulfed in two seemingly endless wars – one in Europe and the other in the Pacific. Fighting on the two fronts stretched resources so thin that rationing and desperate measures were the order of the day....
Not surprisingly, in the mid-1940s, there remained an undercurrent of racism in the US. Even so, Blacks enlisted en masse to fight in the war. Many were relegated to supply or support positions. As fighting escalated and shortages grew, more areas opened up for Black fighting men.
One discipline – long considered to be overly complex – was in the air war. Most every soldier in the Army Air Corps – forerunner to the US Air Force – was white - with the exception of support personnel loading ammunition, refueling and other such tasks. That changed with the Tuskegee Airmen.
Established in Tuskegee, Alabama, the airmen were comprised completely of Black airmen. Naturally, training in the heart of the deep south was daunting enough. It wasn’t as if the airmen could just wander into town to relax. They had to constantly watch their backs.
In the end, over 1,000 Black pilots were trained to fight overseas. In addition, 14,000 others were trained as navigators, bombardiers, mechanics and control tower operators. After being shipped to Europe, the Tuskegee Airmen proved their mettle. At first, the planes they flew were slower and less advanced than other. The airmen complained about their inferiority. Then, they were given the superior P-51 Mustangs to escort bombers deep into enemy territory. There, they excelled.
Once proving their ability, the tails of their planes were painted red to help identify them. After that, the “Red Tails” as they were known were considered invaluable. Nevertheless, because of their color, the pilots and crews continued to have an uphill battle proving themselves. In that regard they were said to have “fought two wars.”
Over the past 10 years, 55 coins in the “America The Beautiful” quarter series have been released. In just over a week, the final coin in that collection will be issued into circulation for collectors to find in pocket change. With February being Black History Month, it’s fitting that the final coin in the decades-long series commemorates the fabled Tuskegee Airmen of the 332nd squadron.
Just before the German surrender, the Tuskegee Airmen tallied more than 15,000 sorties in combat. The airmen destroyed or damaged 36 German planes in the air; 237 on the ground; nearly 1,000 rail cars and transport vehicles plus a German destroyer. In all, 66 Tuskegee-trained aviators were killed in action. Another 32 were captured after being shot down.
The quarter features an image of one of the airmen standing in a flight suit on the airfield in Alabama. In the background is the main aircraft building. Soaring above that building are two fighter aircraft. At the top of the coin are the words, ‘TUSKEGEE AIRMEN” and “THEY FOUGHT TWO WARS.”
The new coins will soon be appearing in pocket change and cash registers. Those wishing uncirculated specimens from one of the three mints producing them can obtain them directly from the US Mint at: www.USMint.gov. They are available in rolls of 25 coins or bags of 100.
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